Interestingly a significant portion of patients are suffering with hip or knee pain for over 8 years before doing anything about it, despite there being an 18 week timeline for the operation.

Most patients still consider the reputation of their surgeon as the most important factor. However, implant reputation and access to the best medical technology are increasingly significant, particularly in younger patients.

Patients are generally optimistic about the expected outcome of their hip or knee replacement surgery.

Mr Steven Young, one of the orthopaedic surgeons on the hip and knee network medical panel, comments; “These findings are generally consistent with what I see in my surgery. It has become much more common to see relatively young people considering joint replacement surgery. As a result patient’s priorities are changing and post operative expectations are also rising.”

“However, I found some of the results quite surprising. There is no need for such a high proportion of patients to wait over 8 years before resolving their joint pain. Most operations take place 18 weeks between referral and surgery.”

The Hip and Knee Network is a website dedicated to provide independent information for patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery in the UK. Uniquely, the website, www.hipandkneenetwork.co.uk boasts a panel of orthopaedic surgeons. The Hip and Knee Network was part-funded by the EU and enables patients to access government data on the quality and take up of all hip and knee implants on the market.

Hip replacement and knee replacement surgery started in the UK in the 1960’s. About 160,000 hip and knee replacements are done each year in the UK and the figures are rising. Some recent research predicts that the number of hip operations will more than treble in the next 20 years.

The procedure is carried out in over 400 hospitals in England and Wales. The average age of patients receiving hip and knee replacement surgery is reducing.

Mr Steve Young is an Orthopaedic Consultant from Warwick Hospital. Steve has been a Consultant at Warwick Hospital for 20 years. Prior to this, he qualified in Cambridge, trained in Oxford and Bristol before carrying out a Fellowship in Los Angeles.

Mr David Stock is an Orthopaedic Consultant from Northampton General Hospital. David trained as a medical student at The Royal Free Hospital undertaking a Clinical Science BSC at St. Mary’s Hospital during this time. He was appointed to a training rotation at The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital gaining his FRCS(TR & Orth) in 1999. David then undertook a fellowship in Arthroplasty and Sports Medicine in Adelaide, Australia before taking up his position at Northampton.

Mr Jon Waite is an Orthopaedic Consultant from Warwick Hospital. Jon trained at Charing Cross Medical School in London, and undertook Orthopaedic Specialist training in Oxford until 2004. He spent a year in Australia on Fellowship training in Knee & Sports surgery initially in Perth and then in Melbourne. Jon has since worked in Swindon and at the Avon Orthopaedic Centre in Bristol before moving to Warwick.